


Dovecote

by Carrot_Bunny



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Family, Fluff, M/M, Original Character Death(s), if there ever was such a thing, it's just close to 5k words of fluff in a cemetery, like deceased family members that sort of thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 10:16:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6002155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrot_Bunny/pseuds/Carrot_Bunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>"You'll always have a home here with us, understand?"</p>
</blockquote>For <a href="sakura-the-empress-haruno.tumblr.com">sakura-the-empress-haruno</a> in the Haikyuu!! Valentine's Day Fic Exchange! Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
            </blockquote>





	Dovecote

Tadashi wakes up to find the futon next to his empty and a second blanket draped over himself on top of his own, forming a warm cocoon against the cool predawn air.

He stifles a sneeze as he untangles himself from the covers and stretches his limbs. Mornings in early spring are always a bit on the chilly side, and even more so up here in the highlands where Kei’s grandparents live. Tadashi has only been here three or four times before, yet he finds that he doesn’t mind the cold as much as he used to during his first stay back in fifth grade. Maybe it’s due to his increased stamina from all the hours he’d put into training during high school. Or maybe he’s starting to get used to the place already.

After folding up both futons and putting them away, Tadashi heads to the small bathhouse outside to wash up. On his way back, he stops in front of the sliding doors and turns to look out over the edge of the slope falling away from the side of the house, taking in the sight of the valley below illuminated by the first rays of sunlight peeking over the mountains in the distance. Somewhere among the trees further down the hill, a bird trills sweetly in a clear crisp voice.

Akiteru finds him there later, sitting on the edge of the wooden platform with his feet hanging over the side. The sun is halfway above the mountain range in the horizon by now, and a blanket of clouds rolls across a cerulean sky.

“Good morning, Tadashi-kun! What are you doing here so bright and early?”

Tadashi blinks once as if snapping out of a reverie. “Oh, good morning Akiteru-san. I was just admiring the scenery, that’s all.”

“Yeah, you don’t get to see a view like this often, do you? It’s like any sleepiness left in you is chased away by the rising sun.” Akiteru grins as he moves to stand next to where Tadashi is sitting. “Grandma’s sent me to announce that breakfast is ready. Kei says to let you sleep if you haven’t woken up yet, but apparently you’re almost as much of an early bird as he is huh?”

“Well, we’ve been sharing a room for close to a year now. I guess his habit’s rubbed off on me a bit,” Tadashi says with a shrug as he gets up from the floor. “Is Tsukki in the kitchen now?”

“Yup. He’s been helping Grandma stir the rice cake batter since the crack of dawn. Grandma claims that she only makes rice cakes when the two of us are around now, because her arms aren’t strong enough to stir the batter properly and Grandpa is too lazy.”

“Who’s too lazy?”

A wrinkled face topped with a head of white hair appears in the doorway, and Akiteru’s grin grows wider as he steps aside to make way for his grandfather.

“I stir and chop and heed the wife’s every beck and call, yet she thinks I’m lazy just because I sometimes prefer to head out and do some fishing rather than potter around in the garden out back. Well, we’ll see whether she’s got any more complaints once I present her with today’s lunch.” He holds up his catch triumphantly and beams at the two of them. “Daybreak’s the best time for fishing, I always say. The little fishies are already up and stirring, yet still too groggy to know what hit them. I’ll take you along tomorrow and you can see for yourself!”

Akiteru shakes his head with a chuckle. “I’ll pass, Grandpa. I’d rather use the term break for its main purpose – sleeping in.”

“Now who’s the real lazybones here,” Tsukishima Senior quips with an amused smile. “Ah well, Tadashi-kun will be happy to keep me company, won’t you Tadashi-kun?”

“Oh! Uh, sure, why not…” Tadashi laughs bashfully as he scratches the back of his head.

Kei’s grandparents, and basically his entire family in truth, had done everything to make Tadashi feel completely at home right from the start, when he was standing nervously at the Tsukishimas’ doorstep for his first visit to Kei’s house. Yet sometimes, Tadashi still feels a little surprised at their warm welcomes and familial gestures, like he can’t figure out exactly why they’re treating him so nicely. He supposes that they probably treat any of Kei’s friends who come over in the same way, although as far as he knows Kei’s never invited anyone else over before. Tadashi had been pretty much the only close friend Kei had ever had, until he became… more than a friend. Significantly more, in fact.

Tadashi tells himself that the rising heat in his cheeks is due to the air gradually warming up as the sun completes its ascent, and hurries off into the house behind Akiteru and his grandfather.

* * *

 

Minutes later, he is sitting before a heaping plate of rice cakes and trying to hide his giggles as Kei attempts to free his jaw from the sticky mass stuck between his teeth. The bespectacled blond sends a sideways glare in his direction, but Tadashi’s lived with him long enough to tell that he’s only doing it halfheartedly. He gives Kei’s knee a squeeze under the low table, and sure enough Kei nudges his side gently in response as he finally succeeds in getting the rice cake out. He swallows the offending piece of food, then eyes the plate warily before pushing it slightly in Tadashi’s direction.

“Oh yes, do have some more Tadashi-kun!” Kei’s grandmother crinkles her eyes as she smiles, having misunderstood the reason for her grandson’s action. “You used to eat at least half a dozen of these during your first time here.”

“Ah yeah, I remember.” Tadashi helps himself to another piece accordingly and takes a hearty bite. He does have a fondness for the rice cakes Kei’s grandmother makes, with the sweet filling that fills the mouth with its flavor the minute one bites into it, and the slightly damp stickiness of the dough that leaves a thin layer of residue on the fingers to lick clean later. He doesn’t quite know why he’s so fond of soggy foods, but there’s a certain satisfaction in having something moist in the mouth to suck and nibble away at. For him anyway, at least.

“Kei-chan, you too! You were a great help this morning, you should enjoy the fruits of your labor,” Mrs Tsukishima adds brightly, and Tadashi stifles a laugh at Kei’s involuntary twitch of apprehension.

“We’ll be taking some of these to the columbarium later, aren’t we Grandmother? I think this amount is just about enough to take with us,” Kei points out as he gives the plate of rice cakes another subtle push away from himself.

“Oh, don’t you worry about the offering! I already set aside a portion to bring along later, so go ahead and finish the whole plate!”

Akiteru finally steps in to save his little brother with a laugh. “No problem Grandma, we can always pack up what we don’t finish and save it for later. Grandpa wants to get to the columbarium earlier, right Gramps?”

“‘Course I do - the old man doesn’t like to be kept waiting, you know. If he’d had his way we’d be at the place right after sunrise, not puttering around the breakfast table like this. No point in dragging your feet when you could get things done right off the bat, he always said.” Grandpa chuckles as he reaches for another rice cake. “Ah well, there won’t be much of a crowd there today. He’ll probably just be happy to have company as it is. And after all, we come bearing rice cakes. Nobody can say no to rice cakes, right?”

Kei looks as if he would want to say something to that, but he simply clicks his tongue almost inaudibly in response. He glances away stiffly, then picks up another rice cake and shoves it in the direction of Tadashi’s grin.

* * *

 

Tadashi half expects the columbarium to be completely devoid of living souls today - it’s not exactly a place many would think of spending their Valentine’s Day in after all. However, they pass the odd visitor or two as they make their way around the low buildings with their whitewashed walls and ornately carved roofs. The place is still mostly enveloped in silence though, with only the occasional chirp of a passing bird to be heard amidst the serene tranquility of the bamboo gardens.

“Tadashi,” comes Kei’s voice from up ahead, and he looks up to see that the others are nearly on the other side of the courtyard by now. The soles of his sneakers kick up stray pebbles as hurries along the cobblestone path to catch up to them.

“Don’t fall behind,” Kei admonishes softly as Tadashi draws level with him, before slipping his hand into the other’s and clasping their fingers together. He meets Tadashi’s look of surprise with an upward tilt of the lips, then turns to walk briskly towards his brother and grandparents, leading Tadashi by the hand firmly.

“W-wait Kei, I - ”

“Tadashi-kun? Is everything alright?” Grandmother asks as she glances over her shoulder, and Tadashi practically squeaks as he tries to pull his hand away before she can see them. The tall blond’s fingers are an iron grip around his palm though, so he can only pray that their entwined hands are sufficiently hidden behind Kei’s figure to escape notice.

Luckily Mrs Tsukishima doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss, for she simply smiles at them before returning to her conversation with Akiteru. Tadashi waits until her back is turned before letting out the breath he’d been holding in, then shoots a look at Kei. “Tsukki!!”

Kei seems completely unperturbed as he runs his thumb lightly over Tadashi’s knuckles. “It’s fine. I told you before, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Tadashi is not reassured though. The dull anxiety that first took root when they got the call from Kei’s grandparents inviting them over for the holidays only seems to be growing  with every passing hour spent with them. He loves Kei’s grandparents a lot, and Akiteru is like the older brother he’d never had. Yet it’s exactly this closeness he has with the Tsukishimas that is the cause of the gnawing feeling he has in his heart.

“We should tell them about us,” he’d said the day before term break began.

Kei had simply given him a side-eyed glance while he continued to pack his luggage. “Tell them about what?”

“About us! That we’re together! Like, together together!” Tadashi could feel his face flaring up again, as it had been prone to doing often ever since he’d started dating Kei, but he still pressed on bravely. “They don’t even know that you have a boyfriend, much less that you’ve been living together with said boyfriend since college started!”

“They already know you’re my roommate. Why else would Grandmother call our dorm extension fully expecting you to answer?”

“But they don’t know that I’ve slept with you twice in the last week alone! I mean,” Tadashi quickly added while his cheeks bloomed a bright red, “they don’t know about us. About our relationship.”

“Well, we’ve only been together for a month. Your family doesn’t know yet either,” Kei pointed out as he finished folding the last of his shirts and placed them in the suitcase.

“My family can’t even remember the name of the college I’m studying in, there’s no point in telling them,” Tadashi replied almost nonchalantly. “But your grandparents… they’ve known me since we were ten, Kei. They still think I’m just a good friend of yours. They don’t know - ”

“ - that you’re banging me?” Kei suggested with a smirk.

“You’re not helping, Tsukki,” Tadashi sighed. His shoulders slumped as he crossed his legs on the bed. “What… what if they don’t want their grandson to have a boyfriend? What if they won’t welcome me anymore because I’m in an intimate relationship with you now? What if - ”

“Yamaguchi, do you know where my woollen socks are?”

“Oh yeah, I just got them washed today, I knew you’d want to pack them. They’re right over here,” Tadashi replied as he reached over the side of the bed to grab the socks from the basket of clean laundry in the corner, then turned around only to find Kei’s lips pressed against his own.

They didn’t break apart until Kei nipped gently at Tadashi’s bottom lip, then pulled back before leaning down again to plant a kiss on his forehead. “My grandparents will have aired the spare futon for you like they always do. Nii-san is coming to pick us up at noon tomorrow in his car. Grandmother will probably cook enough dinner to feed a small village as usual, and the next morning we’ll be visiting the columbarium. You said you didn’t mind spending Valentine’s Day at a mausoleum, right?”

“Uh huh.” Frankly Tadashi didn’t really care where they went on Valentine’s Day - as long as he was together with Kei he was content.

“Then it’s settled. Now hurry up and pack, I’m not lending you a toothbrush if you forget yours.” Kei brushed his fingertips gently across Tadashi’s freckles, then left a last peck on the corner of his mouth before picking up the fallen socks and turning to pack them as well.

They might have left the subject at that, but Tadashi hasn’t stopped thinking about it since. He knows Kei’s family will find out about it sooner or later - it’s only a matter of whether they hear it from him and Kei or otherwise. And it’s important to him that they do this right; it’s his due to these people who had accepted him unconditionally from the very beginning, the family of the man he loves.

_It’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about._

“I’ll trust you on this one, Tsukki,” Tadashi whispers mostly to himself, then gives Kei’s hand a squeeze as they reach the others.

* * *

 

“All done!” Akiteru declares as he starts to climb down the ladder with cleaning cloth in hand.

“Good job, my boy!” From the ground Tadashi personally can’t see any difference in the appearance of the plaque in the top row, but Kei’s grandfather is beaming proudly as if he’s observing the fruitful results of an afternoon’s fishing. He nods to himself as he turns around to fetch the incense. “You can get the offerings from the altar now, Miyuki.”

“Kei-chan, give me a hand please.” While Kei and his grandmother head to the front of the hall where the altar bearing their proffered food is, Tadashi helps Grandfather to light the incense sticks. He hands a couple of glowing sticks to Akiteru as the latter comes in from putting the ladder away, then stands before the rows of plaques and squints up at the top row that nearly reaches the ceiling.

It’s as if Akiteru is able to read Tadashi’s mind. “Yeah, Great-grandpa’s picture doesn’t look as if it’s any cleaner than before we came here, does it? The columbarium always does a fine enough job of keeping the place neat and spotless, so in truth there’s very little for us to do in the way of tidying. Grandpa insists we do our own dusting whenever we come though, says it’s proper respect to the deceased.”

“It does seem rather troublesome having to climb up every time to wipe the plaque clean, especially since it’s in the top row.”

“Well, the top two rows are the biggest urn niches available here. Great-grandpa couldn’t get the burial plot he wanted, so he made do with a larger niche instead. Grandpa still thinks he should’ve just chosen a space at eye level, but he wasn’t about to try to change ‘the old man's’ mind anyway.” Akiteru laughs lightly as he glances over at where his grandfather is fiddling with sticks of incense. “They had a funny relationship, Grandpa and his dad, but they were always able to work things out in the end.”

“So… you knew your great-grandfather well?”

Akiteru shrugs. “Great-grandpa passed away right before Kei started elementary school, but he was always around whenever we spent our holidays here while we were younger. He was wheelchair-bound, but that didn’t stop him from squabbling with Grandpa about everything under the sun. We grandkids used to find it fascinating, the way he’d shoot comebacks and snarks from his wheelchair like they were rifle bullets. I’m pretty sure that’s where Kei got his attitude from.

We came here every February after he passed away, but Valentine’s Day visits didn’t become a tradition until a few years ago. Come to think of it, this is the first time you came with us even though you’ve stayed with my grandparents quite a few times already, right?”

“Ye - yeah.” Just then Mrs Tsukishima beckons to them with a hand, and they move to stand in place behind Kei’s grandparents with their incense sticks. Grandfather leads them in the customary three bows as rows of plaques look down on them, then places his incense in the holder next to the offerings first before folding his hands together in a prayer motion.

“Well old man, here we are to drop in on you again. Brought the youngsters this time too, they knew you’d be pissed if they weren’t able to make it again like last time. Oh yeah, there’s a new kid here - you’ve never met him before, but he’s as good as one of ours now. Decent chap, this one.” Grandfather falls silent for a minute, bending over his clasped hands almost reverently, then turns to give the others a grin. “You young ones go ahead to see Merumi first, Grandma and I are gonna spend a little more time with the old man.”

“Okay,” Tadashi replies accordingly with the Tsukishima brothers, even though he doesn’t quite understand what Grandfather was talking about. He follows the others through a corridor that leads out of the hall Great-grandfather resides in and into another one that opens out onto the courtyard, with sunlight streaming in from outside and illuminating the rows of plaques.

“I remember she was somewhere around - ah, here she is.” Akiteru leads them to where a small set of wind chimes hangs on a hook set in the wall of plaques, and Tadashi’s eye is immediately caught by the smiling face on the plaque right beside, conveniently at eye level. Even in the miniature photo set into the marble surface, he can see that her blonde hair is the same shade as Kei’s.

“I’ll go help Grandma with the offerings. You guys go ahead and light the incense first,” Akiteru tells them before turning back towards the corridor they emerged from. As he disappears through the entrance, Kei draws out half a dozen incense sticks and hands them to Tadashi. He sets the remaining unused sticks on the side table next to the hall’s altar before accepting the lighted incense and taking his place in front of the wall of plaques.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier, Auntie,” he tells the woman’s portrait. “I’ve settled into college just fine now. The place is really as great as you described it - it hasn’t changed much since your days there. Then again, it hasn’t been that long since you were a student there yourself, has it?”

The face on the plaque only stares silently back at him, the carved dates beneath her picture glinting faintly in the sunlight. Tadashi looks from his boyfriend’s motionless figure to the woman’s fixed amber eyes in the picture, and in the ensuing quiet he finds himself taking a step forward while gripping his incense tightly.

“U-um!” He supposes he must look rather silly, talking to the picture of a woman he doesn’t even know, but the smiling face sets him oddly at ease. “I - I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi, Kei… Kei’s boyfriend,” he says, and is surprised at the feeling he experiences as he says those words aloud, like a weight has been lifted off him. “I’ve been friends with Kei since elementary school, and we’re living together in college now. There’s a lot that I still need to learn, but I’ll do everything I can to be by his side, so please let me take care of him. You won’t have to worry about him with me around, I promise.”

The only response is the echo of his voice fading away into the remote corners of the hall, while frozen eyes stare down at him from the walls around them. Just when the eerie stillness is starting to creep him out, he feels a sudden light breeze ruffle his fringe, and the soft melody of the wind chimes tinkling breaks the silence in the hall.

“She likes you.”

His voice is so soft Tadashi almost thinks he might be imagining it, but Kei’s eyes have turned away from the plaque to fixate on his face. The faint lift of his lips is reminiscent of the smile worn by the woman in the picture.

Tadashi watches as Kei leans forward to put the incense sticks in the pot-shaped holder sitting on the shelf underneath the row of plaques. Long thin fingers then hover over the woman’s picture. “She used to babysit us whenever our parents had to go overseas for work. We spent nearly every other weekend with her until she got accepted into an American university for her Masters and left Japan. After the car crash… her ashes remained in the US for a few months until the procedures to bring her home were finished. It was the middle of February when she was moved into this place.”

Kei’s palm caresses the rose-colored wind chimes delicately. “When I was little, she used to joke about waiting for me to marry her. Said nii-san had already turned her down, so I was her last hope to escape singlehood. Whenever our parents went out for Valentine’s Day, she would take us on ‘dates’ at the local cafe and we’d split a slice of shortcake - I’d get the biggest portion since I was her ‘valentine’.”

“For the record, I never rejected her outright,” Akiteru interjects laughingly as he walks towards them with a vase in his hands. “It was after she came to pick us up from school and saw me holding hands with Rika-chan in the playground. She never stopped teasing me about it afterwards.” He places the vase beside the incense holder and straightens the lilies inside. “She even made Kei and I promise to introduce her if we brought anyone home.”

A smirk plays across Kei’s lips as he looks at his brother. “She’d be disappointed that I beat you to it. She always thought you’d find someone first, since you did dump her when you were still in elementary school.”

“You’re just as bad as she is,” Akiteru laments. “Tadashi-kun is too good for you.”

“Me?” Tadashi blinks in surprise. “Wait, Akiteru-san, you - ”

Akiteru sends him a grin. “Calling me ‘nii-san’ will be less of a mouthful, won’t it? Oh, where did you put the incense Kei?”

“Beside the altar,” Kei tells him as he lifts a hand to close Tadashi’s hanging jaw gently.

* * *

“We should bring her roses next year.”

“Grandpa, roses would look out of place in a columbarium.”

“Well, it’s Valentine’s Day! It’s only right to bring roses when visiting a pretty lady during Valentine’s!”

“Aunt Merumi doesn’t like roses, she thinks they’re overrated and finds the thorns annoying. She much prefers lilies.”

“Oh. Well, you always did know her best, Kei.”

Tadashi listens to the voices from the sitting room as he dries the last of the plates and puts them away. “I think that’s all of them, Tsukishima-obasan.”

“Thank you, Tadashi-kun.” Grandmother beams at him from where she stands before the sink rinsing her hands. “Oh, would you mind coming with me to the back room for a while?”

“Of course not.” In truth Grandmother usually calls on Kei or Akiteru if she needs to carry something, but Tadashi is more than happy to help. He follows her through the house to the small room in the back, where unused furniture and other items are stacked neatly in a way that best utilises the little space available.

“Here.” Grandmother gestures to a roll of bedding sitting in a corner, and Tadashi moves closer to see that it is a double-sized futon.

“We normally save this for when Kei’s parents are staying here, but they don’t come back to visit as often nowadays so it’s largely unused. If you’re comfortable with it, well, we can air it tomorrow so you and Kei can use it for the rest of your stay. It’s been in the family for quite some time, so it’s not exactly new, but it’s still pretty usa- oh careful!”

“I’m alright, I’m alright!” Tadashi reassures hastily as he steadies himself after almost tripping over a kotatsu. “That’s - Tsukki and I - we - um, thank you…” He pauses, then smiles almost shyly at the old woman. “ …Grandmother.”

Her eyes practically shine as she looks up at him. “It’s decided then! I’ll bring out the futon in the morning for airing and it’ll be ready to use by tomorrow night!”

“Oh, let me help you carry it outside tomorrow. And… and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and Grandfather face-to-face,” Tadashi says sincerely. “You should’ve heard it from Tsukki and me as soon as possible, instead of having to figure it out yourselves.”

“Well, it was less figuring it out and more of the fact that we just could tell from the way you and Kei acted around each other,” she explains. “Even back when you two were in high school we could sense something between the both of you - Grandfather told me he thought you were exceptionally close, and mind you, he’s usually pretty dense when it comes to most things! Bringing roses to a columbarium, I ask you.” She shakes her head in good-natured exasperation.

Tadashi bites his lip apprehensively. “So… you knew Tsukki and I would end up together even when we didn’t know it ourselves?”

“Of course not, dear, it’s not like we can see the future!” she says with a laugh. “But even if you remained as Kei’s best friend and nothing more, we would’ve continued to think of you as one of our own anyway. My daughter’s passing was too abrupt and much too soon, but it taught us that life is too short to neglect the people we love, blood-related or otherwise.”

She reaches up to brush the hair out of Tadashi’s eyes, tucking them behind his ear before cupping his cheeks with her palms. “Kei cares a lot about you. That’s why we care about you as well. And we’re really happy that he’s together with you - I know he’ll be just fine with you by his side. You’ll always have a home here with us, understand?”

Tadashi can smell the fresh scent of the forest down the slope drifting in through the night air. He can hear the others’ voices from the front of the house, and he can feel the wrinkles of Grandmother’s hand against his face. Can he really find a place for himself amidst all this, truly become one of them? Or have they already made a space for him in their lives, and all he has to do is to reach out and complete the connection?

He lifts his hands to cover hers, holding them firmly. “I do. Thank you.”

* * *

 

“Grandfather insists we bring something else other than lilies next year,” Kei mumbles that night as they lie side by side under the same blanket. It’s a tight fit, but they somehow manage thanks to Kei’s obstinate willpower and refusal to wait till the next night to share a futon with his lover.

Tadashi hums in contemplation. “We could take some shortcake then. She used to eat them with you and nii-san during Valentine’s, right?”

There’s a mild pause, then Kei turns to lie on his side and buries his nose in Tadashi’s neck. “That sounds perfect. You’re in charge of reminding me to buy the cake, got it?”

Tadashi grins as his fingers find Kei’s under the covers. He pulls the blanket higher over the both of them. “I can do that for you.”

 

 

_纪念阿嬷和二姨_   
_永存心中_

**Author's Note:**

> From Wikipedia: "A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns (i.e., urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains). The term comes from the Latin columba (dove) and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons called a dovecote."
> 
> (well at least you now know the title didn't come out of nowhere)


End file.
